Sarasota's Florida DOH is promoting heart-healthy strategies

SARASOTA - The DOH is partnering with the Newtown Community Health Action Team to create kits that consist of a blood pressure cuff, a monthly pill box, calendars for tracking, among other materials.

In 2017, the hypertension death rate for the Black population in Sarasota County was higher than that for white people.

So, the kits will be offered first to 100 African American community members living in or near the Newtown area.

"We're looking at the Newtown Community because about 70 percent of Sarasota County's population that is black lives in the Newtown area so that's a great area to focus on and we can really hit the population that we're trying to work with," Health Educator Amy Daneman said.